THE TIME FOR FUTURE DOCTORS TO ENTER ANESTHESIOLOGY IS NOW
Norig Ellison, M.D. ASA ANNUAL MEETING
FOR RELEASE: October 19, 1998
CONTACT: Denise M. Jones Monday, Philip S. Weintraub, (847) 825-5586
Oct. 17-21 (407) 248-5010
ORLANDO -- Contrary to media reports and the perceptions of some medical students and even a few medical school advisors, practice opportunities for anesthesiologists are excellent, Norig Ellison, M.D., past president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, said at the society's annual meeting.
Following a long-standing shortage of anesthesiologists in this country earlier this century, the growth of the medical specialty of anesthesiology peaked in 1991 when a record 950 American medical school graduates chose anesthesiology as their specialty, Dr. Ellison said. No one knew what to expect in 1995 when this largest crop of medical school graduates ever to enter anesthesiology finished their residency training and entered practice.
"Only some of these doctors had difficulty finding the types of 'golden' positions that had for decades been waiting for anesthesiologists upon graduation," Dr. Ellison said. "Yet this temporary oversupply of anesthesiologists led immediately to the perception by medical students that anesthesiology was no longer the outstanding opportunity it once was, causing a precipitous drop in the number of medical school graduates choosing to specialize in anesthesiology, " Dr. Ellison said. By 1995, the number of medical school graduates entering anesthesiology residencies was 410; by 1996, it was 170.
"The perception that now there is an excess of anesthesiologists and too few jobs does not fit the reality," Dr. Ellison said. Last year, he noted, the number of medical school graduates entering anesthesia was up to 480. "We will need between 400 and 800 anesthesiologists per year just to fill vacant positions created by attrition, death and retirement," he said.
Furthermore, the "graying of America" will likely increase the number of surgical procedures performed each year, requiring more, not less, involvement by anesthesiologists. Although the development of new surgical techniques has simplified many procedures, there will be a parallel growth in complex surgeries, including radical cancer procedures, aggressive trauma surgeries and an enormous growth in organ transplantation, he said.
"I don't think the simpler procedures will decrease the demand for anesthesiologists," Dr. Ellison said. "There will be an increase in more complex procedures that will take longer and consume more hours of anesthesia time."
At the same time, surveys indicate that the public prefers to have physicians in charge of their anesthesia care, and anesthesiologists are redefining their specialty, he said. "We now look at ourselves as perioperative specialists, helping prepare patients for surgery, managing postoperative care, and managing critical care units."
Dr. Ellison said the increased numbers of physicians entering the medical specialty of anesthesiology allows for increased research activity into such areas as advances in anesthetic agents, patient monitoring technology and patient safety, all of which ultimately benefit patients who receive anesthesia.
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